Antimalaric antiobodies in school children in El Bagre, Colombia

Abstract

A cases and controls study was carried out in 1996 in El Bagre, Colombia, endemic zone for malaria, in order to determine the relationship between nutritional situation and immune response to malaria in 51 children with malaria and 49 without it; IgG and IgM antibodies were determined by means of indirect inmunofluorescence .against P. falciparum antigens (Strain FCB2). Nutritional situation was evaluated according to USA National Center for Health Statistics. No child was found positive for IGM antibodies; concerning IgG response, it was positive in 29 (56.9%) malaric children but only in 4 (8.2%) of the non-malaric ones (p<0.00001 ). Difference was also signjficant (p<0.00001) for malarja antecedents in the previous year (70.6% in malaric children vs 10.2% jn the nonmalaric ones). Of the 29 malaric seropositive children 20 (69%) were malnourished (p<0.01 ).